


Idle Hands

by rsfahrudeen



Series: Four Little Archangels [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Biting the hand that feeds you, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gabriel is a Little Shit, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Lucifer is a Little Shit, POV Michael, Prankster Gabriel, Raphael is not amused, Sibling Rivalry, problem child, theres a reason no one pranks lucifer, you've changed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-05-06
Packaged: 2018-06-06 14:25:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6757759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rsfahrudeen/pseuds/rsfahrudeen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gabriel doesnt have enough to do, which is why Michael has way too much right now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dynamic Duo

     "Its not like real combat, is it?" Is the first thing Michaels baby brother says to him after the whole banishing the abyss with Lucifer incident. He didnt even notice Gabriel coming up to look over the garrison hes training at the moment.

        "Well no, it cant be."  He replies, refraining from commenting on how he's glad Gabriel's no longer sulking or sad or feeling (like throwing himself into the abyss) so emotionally impulsive. "They're learning how to move." He'd explain about how winged creatures need to learn how to function without said wings just in case but most details of training just make Gabriels eyes glaze over so theres no point.

           "I dont remember the ground being so steady under our feet at the time." He comments. 

           "There wasnt exactly much ground then." Michael isnt sure when what they call ground even solidified actually. But things will be changing for a long time yet so its pointless to dwell.

         "Well, then," the ground dissapears under the troops causing the entire feild to erupt in absolute chaos with not a few minor injuries and pulled wing muscles as they struggle to adjust to the change in scenery. He makes sure to take note which seraphim keep those under them in better control, Anael and her second seem to have the least disruptions. Of course, right, the late flier, who always hesitates that breifest second with orders and always has his guard up when Gabriel is nearby. Not so much handling the unexpected well as paranoia borne of experience. Too bad.

        There are no fatalities. There havent been in a while but there easily could have been. After restoring order and tending to the wounded with Raphael, its time to search for the little shit and address this. He is of course with Lucifer down by the ocean. Apparently their father's decided to attend things in the throne room for a bit and let Luci have a break. Let him have a minute then. Gabriel's a little ways off, taunting the leviathan while Lucifer randomly touches his wings to the spray off the rocks freezing it breifly before it shatters. 

         "What do you think you're doing?" He demands as Gabriel notices him,

          "Research." Is Gabriel's flippant reply.

          "Making sure Gabriel doesn't get in trouble." Lucifer shrugs freezing and shattering an entire wave that approaches them. 

          "Its too late for that." Michael says darkly.

          "What did he do?" Lucifer draws closer his big brother, either to collaborate or just get between him and Gabriel. Michael's not sure which.

         "He removed the training room floor."

          "And..." of course Lucifer wouldn't take it seriously.

           "It was midsession. We weren't doing aerial combat. Angels got hurt." Michael reminds him, momentarily forgetting that Lucifer has significantly less concern for their younger siblings than the other archangels. Sure he'll accept their adoration, attention, and affection, even returning a fraction of it, but there's a detachment in regards to their well being that Michael isn't entirely sure he approves of.

         Not to that degree at least. But to Lucifer they don't matter individually because theres nothing especially individual or noteworthy about them. They're less strong, less powerful, less everything really than the archangels. Which may be true, but that's not a reason not to care. Michael knows that they can't matter individually because they all matter equally. One loss is not more acceptable than another so the focus has to be on how many he can keep alive and not who. It doesn't matter that they're lesser angels. They're still angels.

           At least he can convince himself he doesn't prefer his brothers until Gabriel forces the issue with his antics. He'd never put up with this behavior from the troops, he shouldn't from his brother. Granted very few of them even attempt behavior like Gabriel's and then only during freeform combat where half the time it works spectacularly, and the other half fails just as badly.

        And none of the little ones nearly died fighting the darkness, drawing a majority of the enemy away to chase him and keep Michael and Lucifer from being overwhelmed by numbers. But still this is now.

         "He ruined the entire exercise."  Michael tries again. Lucifer just raises an eyebrow caring as little for Michael's plans as for his pupils.

        "Because its always so predictable when you fight people who actualy want to hurt you. Maybe you should work on them knowing how to put up their blades and draw them out at a moments notice. In case something unexpected like this happens again."

             "When would this ever happen without Gabriel doing it?" Michael demands. Lucifer's always finding excuses for him, but even he has to admit that he's really reaching this time.

           "Tripping, falling, bumping into other things, the typical training accident? Its a skill that would come in handy for those who can do it. Being aware of where your blade is at all times is a rather important skill to learn."

          "Yes but not through stabbing or being stabbed by your brothers in a Gabriel induced training accident!"

          "Yes well i'll wager anything the ones who did learned it faster than the others."

             "No."Michael snaps

             "No, they won't learn or no you're not willing to make and loose another bet to me."Lucifer gives an arrogant smirk, the smug bastard.

             "I won't wager over the health and welfare of our siblings." Michael wonders breifly if its possible to smack someone so hard they can never roll their eyes again. Probably not.

         "Isn't that what you're doing though?" Lucifer sits down on a large ice patch he creates, smiling as Gabriel fans his wings to create his own larger and larger waves to crash against the oncoming ones. "Wagering that steady predictable routine will train them to face the unpredictable chaos of that mess deep down in there. You know we'll be the ones clearing those things out of the ocean. Thats why he made so many of the little fluff balls." True but beside the point. 

          "You think you know how to fight better than i do?" Michael challenges, hoping that the reminders of his many defeats at his elder brother's hands put him in his place. It doesnt.

          "I think i know tactics better than you do." And suddenly Michaels sword i removed from behind, the Lucifer in front of him dissipating in sparkly shards of ice.

           "You little shit!" He takes off after his brother who, while he can hide himself with his light tricks can't hide Michaels sword from him.

            "Gabe, catch!" Lucifer tosses it to him when Michael finally starts getting close. Gabriel does, but instead of running just stays still and gives it back meekly to the eldest. "Oh, Gabriel." Lucifer sighs, shaking his head. "I had such high hopes for you. But i want you to know," he puts an arm around the angels shoudlers. "I'm not mad, just... dissappointed."

           "What for not playing keep away with Michael's sword?" Gabriel snorts, showing uncommon sense. "Luci, my love for you burns with the fire of a thousand suns, but i am not actually suicidal."  Michael cant help but give a chuckle at Lucifer's long suffering look as Gabriel pats his cheek.

           "Im glad to know your mischeif does have some limits." He goes to put his sword back into a sheath that is no longer there. 

             "Now his belt on the other hand." He hears from remarkably far away. It takes two hours to cut through all the imitation Gabriels and Lucifers and find, by cutting through, his real belt. Gabriel and Lucifer are long gone by then, likely in another galaxy. But since theres an even better sword belt and sheath in its place when he goes back to his room, he decides not to pinion them. This time.

 


	2. raphael reaches his limit

    "This is getting out if hand." Raphael says darkly as Michael carefully removes the shiny solidified casings from his brothers wings. Each feather of course was completely covered in the clear substance before it hardened so the procedure was taking an inordinate amount of time. Gabriel swore up and down that he didnt know it was going to do that, that it was just supposed to be sticky, but it wasnt much of a comfort to his victim who refused to speak in his presence.

          Their father could have fixed it in an instant of course but he made it clear that Michaels younger brothers were his responsibility because if their father had to step in every single time one of them (Gabriel) caused trouble creation would never be finished and they would all be confined to this small space together for the duration. Besides even if Michael feels he cant bother to take the time and attention needed to prevent Gabriel from accidentally shellacing his brothers wings, then he can take the time to fix it.

          Gabriel did attempt to help, but the effort ended up in Raphael painfully loosing several tertials and discovering a surprising application for his healing ability that left Gabriel quivering in the garden grass for about half a wing. So Gabriel is under Lucifer's care while their father dictates something to his scribe, and the troops are under the instruction.of the seraphs with the full understanding that nobody is getting healed until Raphaels wings are restored. When he checked last they were watching and critiquing individual matches in various combat styles and seeing whos the best.

          A fairly good idea, and he intends to see if his brothers feel like giving deminstrations themselves once this is taken care of. But for now, he has to take care of poor Raph. Not that he minds, Raphael is the best of his younger brothers, quiet, respectful, steadfast, dependable, and always seems to get the short stick whenever Lucifer or Gabriel are involved. He really deserves better. And he does have a point, it is getting out of hand.

              "I know." Michael sighs. Not that he knows what to do exactly. While what Lucifer clearly needs is to be forcefully reminded he is not perfection incarnite, even if that lesson becoming more and more violent, Gabriels not arrogant. He plays at it occaisionally, but its not the same. Gabriel... who knows what the darkness is going on in that head of his or how he still manages to be downright adorable even when making you want to punch him. He does that better than Lucifer.

        "We cant keep babying him." Raphael frowns. Another point to his younger brother is that he seems to be immune to both Gabriel's charms and Lucifer's, which is impressive. He's also being very generous in saying 'we' right now. Seeing Gabriel standing at the very edge of the abyss gazing into the empty, learning that he did so often and even felt the pull of oblivion.had shaken him to his very core. Sealing away the abyss with Lucifer only helped so much. There are other ways for an angel to die, his own blade not the least of them. If he ever felt the call and was determined to go, there would be no stopping him. 

           "I'm just trying not to be too hard on him. Maybe I'm being too easy but ..." Michael just shakes his head. Raphael doesnt say anything though he tenses a little in a way that means whatever he's thinking isn't exactly constructive.

              "Do you remember when there used to be only three of us?" Raphael says darkly looking over to the Garden entrance.

            "Or less." Comes Lucifers cold reply. 

            "Yes. I do." Michael returns before noticing Gabriel half shrinking behind his favorite brother. Lucifer ushers him forwards with his wing tucked protectively around him. 

              "I found this greasy stuff that makes then coating separate more easily. I tested it so..." Gabriel holds out a large jar a bit shyly. As he does so, Michael notices a slick patch on one of his wings and also on Lucifer's. He gives them both a soft smile and nods him over. "Im sorry, Raph. I didnt think..."

            "No, you didn't! You never do. You never think. At all. You just do things and dont care what happens or who gets hurt and I've had enough." Raphael knocks the jar out of his little brothers hands. Michael just manages to catch it. "Just leave me alone, you stupid brat."

             "Hey, now." Lucifer steps forward. Thankfully Michaels 'back off' look is actually heeded.

             "Innapropriate and unneccassary insult aside, he has a point." Michael says firmly. 

              "I care what happens and no one is ever supposed to get hurt."

              "But they do, Gabriel." Raphaels frustration is almost a seperate entity. "Do you know how many of our brothers I've had to heal because of some after affect of your pranks?"

             "It can't be that many."

             "Since the abyss? Over half of them!" Michael wouldnt have guessed that many but Raphael would know better than he would.

              "You cant seriously be blmaning him for all those injuries!" Lucifer of course can no longer keep quiet. "Or are you also as willing to blame Michael for all the rest? Should they stop training all together then?"

           "Gabriel's not training anybody, he's being a petulant asshole. There's a difference, and you fucking know it."

            "Listen, you little..." Michael steps in before Lucifer can lay hands on his younger brother, but as he has to do so physically it doesnt exactly de-escalate the situation.

             "Do not lay your hands on your little brother."

              "You're one to talk." Lucifer looks pointedly down at his wrists.

               "Don't turn this around on me." Michael half pushes his brothers arms away as he releases him. "Raphael has every right to be angry. We are always cleaning up your messes and a simple apology isn't going to cut it anymore."

         "What did I do?" Lucifer looks so offended as if hes not constantly undermining Michaels authority with Gabriel. Encouraging, excusing, enjoying his misbehavior. Spoiling the hell out of him.

          "Really?" Is all he says looking him directly in the eyes. Lucifer flushes and draws himself up.

          "Say it." He hisses, "Say o'm poison. I dare you." Lucifer shoves Michael back so hard he almost knocks over one of their brothers.

             "How dare you..."

              "Act like you?" And thus Michael looses what little control of his temper he had.


	3. Apologies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys make up.

          By the time the fight is over, neither Raphael or Gabriel are anywhere to be seen, and both Michael and Lucifer are too exhausted to go look. An exhasperated look and shake of the head from the passing Joshua as they lay there makes Michael swear to himself to help fix whatever they damaged in the garden before they leave. 

            "You're not poison." Michael slowly sits up and works to smooth out his feathers, ignoring the glare from his little brother. "I mean it, Lucifer, you're not." He is, if anything, poisoned, but there's nothing anyone can do about it and the remark would be unhelpful at best. "You are brave and selfless and warm and.... i don't like what's happening to you."

            "Nothing is happening to me." He lies, "Nothing has happened except being locked away in the throne room. And why? What did i do wrong?"

            "Thats... its not a punishment, Luce, its a reward, an honor. Dad is leaving you in charge while hes away. You are ruling heaven in his absence. You think youre being locked away?"

             "I know i am. What exactly is there to rule? Everyone knows their jobs, there are rarely any problem. They dont have enough personality to create problems. All i do is sit there and wait for someone to make up an excuse to come in and stammer and stare at me.

          "Only Gabriel comes to really visit me. You're always so busy with the troops. Raph is Raph so nothing he does matters. Dad can barely even look at me when he comes back. We dont even speak anymore i just tear out of there as fast as i can so as not to loose a second of freedom. What part of that sounds like anything but a punishment?"

            "He's trusting you. He's giving you responsibility. Responsibility isn't fun. Do you think I want to spend every hour of every day teaching and training our younger brothers? Don't you think i want to spend more time with the three of you? Or that its not incredibly painful knowing that some of these children that look to me with such trust and admiration, I'll be sending to their deaths when we go to clear out the oceans?

         "But there's a plan in all of this and we just have to endure and have faith that at the end of this will be something to make it all worthwhile." He's fairly sure his brothers groans arent entirely from having to move to sit up. "Look what Dads done so far. He knows what hes doing. All we have to do is do it. That's all." Lucifer just gives him a look before drawing his knees up to his chest and staring testily at the garden wall. "Raphael isnt exactly having an easy time of it either, you know. and Gabriel..."

          "There is nothing wrong with Gabriel." Lucifer snaps. "He just makes mistakes thats all. You make mistakes, Raphael makes mistakes, why is Gabriel not allowed any? Who punishes you when a training exercise goes wrong or Raph when one of the infants died?"

          "Thats different."

          "Why because you and your protege were the ones who screwed up? We haven't lost a single child since Gabriel started stepping in with all his pranks and little off the wall lessons and you know it. They all even learned to fly after that near disaster."

          "He doesn't think things through."

          "He doesnt think like you! Or me. I would never have dived into a leviathan filled ocean to try and save one of those broken little fluff balls not the least because I wouldn't have been fast enough to reach him before they did. You think you dont like Gabriel's stunts? They scare the crap out of me. Sometimes i just want to shake him until he stops flirting with death so shamelessly.

        "The only one he knowingly or intentionally places in harms way is himself. That includes when hes tryng to fix his m istakes.  Do you know where that gunk he found was? Right on the waterline with massive crushing waves that would have bashed him against the rocks without effort if they caught him. You know what if i can poison him enough to give him some semblance of a sense of self presevation, you can bet your sweet ass i will, even if it means making him more like me." Lucifer curls his wings so tightly around himself its like he expects another onslaught. But his right wing doesnt fully cooperate as one of the joints seems slightly dislocated and won't fold right.

          "That would kind of make Gabriel less like you actually." Michael scoots closer and slowly moves the joint back into place before gently reordering some of his little brothers disordered feathers. While the beautiful fractal patterns of his crystal feathers dont get out of place easily, when they do its harder to disentangle them without breaking bits off. He has to go slowly and hope his own warmth can melt them back to their original misty droplets if only long enough to be put back in place.

           "I didnt think i hurt you that badly. Should we get Raph?" lucifer grumbles.

            "You sacrificed yourself, giving yourself to the darkness. You took the mark for us. Do you think i could ever forget that? That any of us could? Gabriel especially, you know how he looks up to you."

           "Like Raphael does you." The jealousy in his voice is obvious at least to Michael.

           "You brat. If Raphael doesnt adore you, its your own fault and you know it," The little starshine did not like having to share Michaels attention and was not gracious about it at all. In truth he only turned his attention to Gabriel at first to try and make Michael jealous, and further snub the one he considered his little usurper. It figures he was conquered with the first tiny smile. It was too long after that Lucifer realized maybe Raphael could have been another adoring playmate, but it was too late for much more than grudging tolerance. It ws his own fault.

          "I don't care." Is it really a lie if no one believes you and you don't actually expect them, too? "He's ridiculously slow, never has anything to say except when he explodes likes this, and whats worse acts all shocked and appalled when i say the things hes thinking. He has no respect." He's jealous because little raphi, once considered the bane of his existence doesn't fall all over himself in adoration like so many of the troops. Michael cant help but laugh at his brother reverting to the possessive clingy little fledgling he once was.  "So unsympathetic."Is he pouting? He sounds like hes pouting.

           "Completely." Michael grins and just keeps grooming until Lucifer gives a sigh. "I do remember being the only one, though." He says after a moment.

             "It must have been nice having our father all to yourself."

              "Yes and no. It wasn't that long and he was so busy making things. There was only the garden at that point. I was bored i guess and lonely when he couldnt be with me. It feels like it took so long to make you and id be peering over his hands trying to get a look. Just a droplet of water and light infused with grace. Made bigger peice by peice, until you opened your eyes and smiled at me, maybe at dad but it looked kind of like it was at me. Everything Father taught me i got to teach you and yes Raphael is a considerable less pain in the ass than any of you, but you were first and always will be. I'm sorry, Luci, I shouldn't have lost my temper like that."

         "I started it."

           "I'm older, I should know better,"

          "Phfff." But Lucifer relaxes a little and his wings become easier to tend to.

           "We still have to figure out something to do about this. You know its a problem when Raphael complains about it. "

          "Yes, well aside from trying to give him a sense of humor?" Lucifer still refuses to condemn his darling even a little. Michael just sighs. "Oh come on, that was a funny prank and you know it."

            "Maybe a little, until it hardened."

              "Even then. You didnt see the look on his face." Luci grins

              "I did and it wasnt funny."

              "Not Rapael's face, Gabriel's." Lucifer laughs outright. "Please tell me you've seen it. The look he gets when he realizes something has gone terribly wrong."

              "Oh that look, the 'oh shit' look." Michael can't help a smile if his own. His brother just snickers at his description. "No, hes usually made a point of being well out of my range of vision by that point. He still makes that face?" Luci nods. "Is it still as cute?"

           "Somehow more."

           "Probably better that i dont see it then, for the sake of discipline."

            "Probably. We just need to find him something to do. There arent any messages for us now. The choir runs itself and isnt that often anyways. There are no more fledglings and you know he misses playing with the babies. Maybe we could ask Dad to make a few more?" Lucifer suggests hesitantly, obviously hoping its not a viable suggestion. 

            "Nooo. No. We... no... we have so many i cant even remember all their names half the time.  I'm not certain but i think we have three Azreals and four Sammaels. Dads love may be infinite but im fairly sure i've reached capacity. Poor Raphael cant even bring himself to try. He's doing much better now that they're not dying as infants but i still dont think he can handle another batch."

           "I keep telling you all to detatch. We're herding leviathan soon. You said it yourself they're not all going to survive. You dont need to subject yourself to that kind of pain."Lucifer stiffens up again loosing whatever warmth had crept into his wings from Michaels care.

              "Neither do you if you want to think like that."Michael retorts, getting a surprisingly heated glare in response.

                 "I can protect him. Hes only one angel."

                 "So were you, and I couldn't protect you. But youre not in this alone. I love him too. We all do. I love all of you, you know that. Now we really need to figure out some way to harness the wind at least enough to keep us all sane."


	4. How do you solve a problem like Maria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael and Lucifer lay down the law.

 Oddly enough, their younger brother not only have not come to blows themselves but are in Gabriels largely unused room. In truth they both look a little embarrassed and Gabriel has finished cleaning off his brothers wings with an odd seafoam mixture.

         "We need to talk." Michael says as gently as he can and moves aside to let Lucifer stand next to him. Gabriel just silently nods and awaits correction. "Whether the troops need to experience unpredictability on the battlefield or not, your brothers and I don't. Don't interfere with training without our explicit knowledge and cooperation or, if we're not overseeing the lessons, the seraphim in charge's. Do you understand?"

            "Yes, Michael."

            "And no more pranks involving the ocean."Lucifer adds."At least not until the leviathan are gone. If you want to go down there for any kind of training purposes make sure Michael or I are with you. If anyone gets hurt from anything you do, you have to stay and help Raphael heal them. If you break anything, you fix it. We good?"

           "Yes, Luci." Though he's a little less pleased at this one and looks over to Michael who makes sure to display approval. "Any orders from you, Raphael?" 

         "No, just if you mess with my wings again, I will beat you unto a pulp, put you back together and then beat you again."

           "Got it." Gabriek smirks as if he thinks Raphael was joking. "Oh, here." He tosses his older brother a few bottles of the lotion. "I made extra."

            "It is actually kind of nice." Rapahel admits. "Hes going to teach me how to make it."

             "How did you learn?" Michael asks suspiciously. 

              "I asked Dad of course. He refuses to get involved with my pranks so those i had to figure out mysel, but this is really just general use."

               "Thank you. I'll go put this away for now."Michael lifts the containers and heads off to his room. The second he approaches the nearest shelf a sigil flares up beneath him and hes engulfed in a whirlwind of finely ground powder. When he wipes off his eyes he sees every exposed inch of himself is a sparkling dayglow purple. As is his entire room and everything in it. It seems to wipe off fairly easily.

      He can hear his brothers all laughing before he can even turn around, including Raphael who could use a good laugh so he decides not to trap Gabriel in the bottom of the one leviathan free sea while he washes himself off in it. And since Lucifer seems to find it so extremely amusing, Michael decides to let him enjoy the almost identical sigil he can now detect in his brothers room. This one leaves the morningstar and his things a dull matte pink like some of the coral in the aformentioned pool. 

             "YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

            Gabriel doesnt stick around long enough to laugh and when he and Lucifer finally return, Gabriel is soaking wet and bound limb and wing (apparently Lucifer had a similar idea to Michael) Raphael oversees the littlest archangels task of manually cleaning the entire wing. Michael does wait until he's alone to laugh at Lucifers appearance, as one fight a day with the light bringer is more than enough. It wasnt really funny to see Lucifer covered in coral dust, because apparently everything looks good on him, but his expression at finding himself at the end of one of Gabariels pranks is another thing entirely. And if Michael cracks a smile at the memory every now and then, he make sure no one, but Raphael is there to see it.


End file.
